


Trick Or Treat

by woodelf



Series: The Floofy!verse [15]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Halloween, Originally Posted on Tumblr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:28:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26387932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/woodelf/pseuds/woodelf
Summary: Halloween at the Gold house.
Relationships: Baelfire | Neal Cassidy & Emma Swan, Baelfire | Neal Cassidy & Henry Mills, Belle/Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold, Henry Mills & Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold
Series: The Floofy!verse [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1836043
Kudos: 23





	Trick Or Treat

They hadn’t done much, last year. But Belle had wanted to give out candy to trick-or-treaters, so Rumpelstiltskin had, for the first time, put the porch light on at the salmon-coloured house to indicate that they were open for business on Halloween night. For a while he thought that Henry and his friend Nicholas (dressed as a knight and a dragon, respectively) would be the only kids brave enough to approach their door, but after they had received their candy with delighted thanks, they had gone away and apparently spread the word that the Gold house was giving out full-sized candy bars. After that they’d had a steady trickle of kids show up, enough to please Belle at least. Most had been around Henry’s age, but some had younger siblings in tow, and Belle called him to the door occasionally to see a particularly cute costume. One little girl had been dressed as some sort of fairy, complete with wings on her back and what he knew was supposed to be a magic wand, a sparkly star mounted on the end of a stick with trailing ribbons. It was a colourful, pretty thing that he knew would delight many a child, but it most unequivocably did not resemble any actual magic wand of his acquaintance. He’d begun to see the appeal of the night when he’d decided to have a little fun with the girl.

_“What’s that?” he’d asked, gesturing at the wand clutched in her small fist._

_“A magic wand!” she’d exclaimed, looking at him like he was the dullest of the dull to not know that._

_“Really?” he’d asked doubtfully. “That’s not what magic wands usually look like, you know.”_

_“Rumpel!” Belle had smacked him on the arm reprovingly._

_“Usually they’re made of wood, not plastic,” Rumpel had continued, ignoring her. “Are you sure that it’s real?”_

_“Yes,” the girl had said firmly, staring him down._

_“It’s just that…here, may I see it for a moment? I promise to give it right back.” He held out his hand._

_“You don’t have to, Meggie,” the girl’s older sister had cautioned, glaring at him, but after a moment Meggie had handed him the wand._

_“It’s just that,” Rumpelstiltskin repeated, passing his hand over the star, “I think a magic wand should glow, don’t you?” The star had begun to glow with light, and he had passed it back, smiling. Meggie’s face had lit up more brightly than the wand as she had taken it back, her eyes wide with wonder as she had flourished the wand excitedly._

_“That was sweet of you,” Belle had praised him when the children had left. “I’m sorry I hit you.”_

_“Did you really think that I was going to hurt a child’s feelings?” He had raised an eyebrow at her, suffused with the warm glow of having made a child happy and changing his mind about this holiday. Children deserved to have fun and an occasional treat, he thought, remembering how they’d celebrated the winter solstice back in the Enchanted Forest, people going house to house singing, and being rewarded with a small cake or glass of warm cider. Bae had loved it, his clear, sweet young voice ensuring that on that one night at least they were always welcome, and had bellies full of good food._

This year he wanted the kids the come, to see especially the youngest ones with their eyes alight as Bae’s had once been, brimming over with the excitement of going door to door and being given candy. To that end he’d enlisted Henry’s help in decorating the yard, while Belle was busy decorating indoors. Henry had shown up with his father in tow, and by the time they were done, orange lights had been strung, ghosts hung, cobwebs draped, and a huge cauldron installed on the porch which Rumpelstiltskin planned to fill with dry ice on Halloween night, to billow smoke up into the air. Several pumpkins were scattered about, ready to be carved another day, and bunches of cornstalks flanked the front door.

“We’ve got an animatronic skeleton down at the hardware store,” Neal suggested. “It’s lying down in a coffin and when a motion detector senses movement, it pushes back the lid and sits up. We could put it in the yard.”

“Too commercial,” Rumpelstiltskin refused. “Besides, I’m not going to lug something of that size up and down into the attic every year to store it.”

“Just poof it,” said Neal negligently.

Rumpelstiltskin narrowed his eyes. “Are you suggesting I waste magic on frivolous things?”

Neal shrugged and eyed the chair on the porch thoughtfully. “What do you think of me sitting in that chair, wearing a hooded robe or something, pretending to just be a stuffed figure? Then I could lift up my head, and reach out my hand and touch a kid, and they’d look over and see me wearing a skeleton mask or something, and I could say something scary?”

“Oh man, that’d be great!” Henry enthused. “That’d scare the pants off people! Only wait until they’ve gotten their candy. And maybe don’t do it to the little kids, only the older ones.”

“I don’t know,” said Rumpelstiltskin doubtfully. “Run it past Belle and see what she says.”

Belle came out onto the porch, looking around at all their work. “Looks good,” she said. “Are you done yet? I thought we could order some pizza.”

“Yes!” Henry enthused.

“What do you want on your pizza, Neal? I know Henry likes just pepperoni.”

“Just pepperoni is fine with me, too,” Neal said.

“One of these days I’m going to find someone else who likes pineapple on pizza,” Belle sighed. “They wouldn’t offer it as a topping if enough people didn’t order it, right?”

“Hook likes it.” Henry grinned, remembering. “Before Mom and Dad got back together, he was over one night for pizza. “Pineapple, anchovies, olives… and sausage, I think.” He made a face.

“Someone with whom I might want to share a pizza,” Belle clarified, and Rumpelstiltskin laughed.

“Get what you like, dear, you know I don’t mind picking them off.”

“No, it’s okay, we’ll do the split thing like usual. That guarantees I get a whole half a pizza to myself.” She grinned and leaned in to kiss his cheek.

* * *

A half hour later they were digging into their pizza with gusto. “Are you planning on dressing up again this year, Henry?” Belle asked.

“Yeah, of course. You don’t think I’m getting too old to trick-or-treat, do you?” he asked worriedly.

“Not as long as you do a proper costume and don’t just show up mooching for candy,” Neal said.

“I’m thinking of going as Sherlock Holmes,” Henry said. “And I wanted to ask, Grandpa, if I could borrow your cane? He always carried a walking stick.”

“Yes, of course. It’s in the umbrella stand in the front closet.”

Henry got up from the table and went to look. “It’s not here.”

Gold frowned. “See it anywhere else in the closet?”

Henry rummaged. “Nope.”

Gold got up to look as well, and acknowledged that Henry was right; it wasn’t there. He hadn’t used it since he’d returned from Neverland, but he was sure that that was where he had put it. “Belle, have you seen my old cane?”

“Not that I can think of, not lately. Want me to run upstairs and check the bedroom closet?” She was already up and moving towards the stairs, so he let her go, but she came back down shortly shaking her head. “I don’t see it anywhere.”

“Oh! This is my first case!” Henry exclaimed gleefully.

“Sit back down and finish your dinner before you do any detecting,” Neal said. “Unless you want me to eat all the pizza.”

Henry returned to the table and took a bite of his pizza, thinking. Lady and Tramp, who had followed him to the closet, took up their stations underneath the table again, hoping for someone to drop some food. They knew enough not to beg, but had learned that hovering politely sometimes got results. “Okay, the first question is where was the last place you saw it? Are you sure it was the umbrella stand?” He slipped a couple of pieces of pepperoni to the dogs under the table.

“As sure as I can be,” Rumpelstiltskin confirmed, taking another slice from his half (mushrooms, onion, green pepper, and bacon) of his and Belle’s pizza

“How about when?”

Rumpelstiltskin shook his head. “I really don’t know.”

“I was using it to help take down the Christmas decorations,” Belle remembered. “To pull the garland and string of lights loose from the top of the tree. It was there then.”

“That’s good,” Henry approved. “Do you remember putting it back in the umbrella stand after?”

“I think so,” she said doubtfully. “If I hadn’t, surely we would have come across it later lying around and put it back, anyway.”

“Hey! What if you accidentally laid it down in the box of decorations?” asked Henry excitedly.

Rumpelstiltskin and Belle looked at each other.

“I suppose it’s possible,” she acknowledged.

“Good thinking, sport.” Neal smiled at Henry. “You’ll be ready to open up your own detective agency in no time.”

Henry beamed and finished his last slice of pizza. “Can I go up to the attic to see if it’s there?” he asked.

“Sure,” his grandfather replied.

Henry raced up the stairs, but a short while later came back down more slowly, looking dejected. “It wasn’t there. I found the box, and took everything out, but it wasn’t in there.”

“Hey, it was a good idea,” Belle consoled him. “It just means that it disappeared sometime after that.

Henry plopped down on the couch, Tramp parking himself in front of him. Lady was underfoot in the kitchen, where Belle was wrapping up the few leftover pizza slices. “Too bad you’re not a bloodhound, boy,” he said, scratching behind the grey dog’s ears. “You could help me find the cane.”

Tramp made a querulous sound in his throat, his tail wagging. He knew the word ‘find’. He went and fetched one of his balls and dropped it in Henry’s lap. Find The Ball was a good game.

Henry laughed. “No, a cane’s not a ball; a cane is more like a stick. A big stick.” He obligingly tossed the ball across the room and Tramp rushed to bring it back. Something niggled at the back of Henry’s mind. He threw the ball again, and it rolled under an end table, a table with toothmarks in one of its legs. Tramp grabbed the ball and pranced back with it happily.

“Hey guys…” Henry spoke slowly, staring at those toothmarks. "You know how Tramp chewed on the furniture a few times when we first brought the dogs home?”

“Yeah?” Rumpelstiltskin looked at him inquisitively.

“Well, your cane isn’t much different from that table leg there.” He pointed. “It’s a piece of polished wood, very chewable, except much nicer in that it’s portable.”

Rumpelstiltskin caught on at once. “You think Tramp stole my cane?” he demanded, and the dog in question flattened his ears worriedly. He didn’t think he had done anything wrong lately, but one never knew. He slunk up to Rumpelstiltskin with a low whine.

“Oh, don’t look like that.” Rumpelstiltskin hastened to reassure the dog, petting him until his ears came back up. “You’re not in trouble…yet.” It was possible; the closet door was left partly open sometimes. And if Tramp had taken it, and made off with his prize to gnaw it in peace…

“Look under and behind any furniture where he might have dragged it, Henry.”

“Flashlight’s in the junk drawer,” Belle contributed, sitting down beside Rumpelstiltskin and curling up against his side.

Henry dashed off excitedly to get it and returned to drop down on the floor and shine it beneath all the furniture. “Nothing in here,” he reported, jumping back up. “I’ll check the other rooms.” He left the living room with the two dogs following behind, interested in whatever he was up to.

Neal smiled in amusement. “I’m gonna time you, buddy!” He glanced at his watch.

“Do you think he’ll find it?” asked Belle.

“It has to be somewhere in the house,” Rumpelstiltskin replied, playing with her hair contentedly. “We would have noticed that big of a hole if he’d buried it in the garden.”

After a few minutes, they heard Henry run upstairs again. Neal got up to follow. “I’ll go keep an eye on him. Is it okay to look in your room?”

There was a pause as two people quickly did a mental review of their bedroom. “Yes, fine,” said Belle.

“Don’t open the zippered bag in the closet,” said Rumpelstiltskin, his face a perfect mask of neutrality.

Neal grinned. “Got it.” He headed off up the stairs.

Belle elbowed Rumpelstiltskin. “Why did you tell him that?”

“Trust me, my dear, he won’t touch any zippered bags with a ten foot pole. His imaginings are going to be bad enough; he doesn’t want to know what his dear old dad is actually up to in the bedroom.” He grinned wolfishly. Belle snorted and idly turned on the television; _Jeopardy!_ was coming on.

Several minutes later Henry galumphed down the stairs, holding aloft the cane triumphantly. “I found it! It was underneath the dresser in my room.” He looked at Tramp speculatively. “That must have been a tight fit, unless he just pushed it under there to hide it.”

“Let me see.” Rumpelstiltskin stretched out his hand, and Henry gave him the cane. It wasn’t as bad as it could have been, he thought, but it had obviously been chewed on. Maybe the wood had been too hard to be enjoyable. “Tramp, you bad dog,” he said mildly.

Tramp cocked his head uncertainly. The words bad dog did not usually go with that tone of voice. He wasn’t sure if he was in trouble or not. He went to sit at Rumpelstiltskin’s feet and licked his hand in a conciliatory fashion just in case, and then again because he could still taste pizza on the fingers.

Rumpelstiltskin scratched the dog’s head. “It’s okay, it’s too late to get angry. Henry, I have another walking stick at the shop; you can use that one if you’d rather.”

“Are you kidding?” Henry took the cane back. “This is even better. I can say I used the cane to fight off the Hound of the Baskervilles.” He beamed happily.

* * *

Belle unfolded the top of the striped paper tube and poured some of the contents onto her tongue thoughtfully.

“Do you think these have anything to do with real pixies?” she asked.

“Huh?” Rumpelstiltskin came back inside after having lit the three jack-o-lanterns on the porch. The porch lights were on, a bowl of candy stood waiting, and they were open for business.

“These are called Pixie Stix,” explained Belle, showing him the candy. “It’s funny how this world knows about all sorts of magical things but doesn’t believe in them. Here, try.”

Rumpelstiltskin obediently put his tongue out and Belle poured some of the coloured powder onto it.

“Sweet,” he proclaimed. “It’s just flavoured sugar; I’m sure that pixies would like it.” He grabbed a few of the Pixie Stix from the bowl of candy and set them aside.

“Did you like it that much?” Belle asked. There _was_ something surprisingly enjoyable about the simplicity of the treat.

“I thought I might enjoy licking it off of your body later,” he said, plucking a square of caramel out of the bowl and unwrapping it. He smiled as he popped it into his mouth.

Belle’s eyes widened. “Oh.” She added another tube to the pile. “I wonder if each colour is a different flavour.”

“TRICK OR TREAT!” The doorbell chimed in accompaniment.

Belle opened the door, smiling in welcome as she saw Henry in his deerstalker hat and Inverness cape and his friend Nicholas Zimmer looking dapper in his stage magician’s outfit.

“Hello, boys. You look very nice. Come inside so I can take your picture.”

“Ah, my favourite grandson,” Rumpelstiltskin greeted as they came inside. “Hello, Henry. Hello, Nick.”

“I’m your only grandson,” Henry retorted, and he and Nick smiled for the camera when Belle told them to.

“Well, that’s true, but why have another when they got you right on the very first try? Tell your parents I’d like a granddaughter next time.”

“They’re not even married yet!”

“Then tell your dad to stop dragging his feet and ask Emma.”

“I think he’s thinking about it,” confided Henry. “I think he wants to wait and ask her at Christmas.”

Rumpelstiltskin rubbed his hands together in satisfaction. “I’ll have to speak an encouraging word in his ear.” He wanted all his family to be happy, and it was plain that Emma made Neal happy. According to Henry he spent most evenings over at their place anyway. “All right, where were we?”

“Trick or treat!” The boys repeated on cue, holding out their bags and grinning.

“Hm, I think I’d like a trick,” Belle decided.

Henry looked completely nonplussed by this answer, but Nicholas rose to the occasion, removing his top hat with a sweeping gesture.

“As you wish, my lady.” He took his magic wand and tapped the bottom of the hat with it. “As you can see, this a perfectly ordinary hat, nothing special about it.” He showed them the empty interior. “Yet, for your pleasure, I shall endeavour to pull – what do you think I should pull out of this hat?”

“A white rabbit,” said Belle promptly, having seen him perform the trick before with the stuffed white rabbit that had come with the kit.

“A very traditional choice, and a good one,” Nicholas agreed. “But tonight is a special night; tonight is a magical night. What shall I pull out of the hat?” He waved his hand over the hat in an intricate pattern.

“A bat,” guessed Rumpelstiltskin, getting into the spirit of things.

“A cat!” guessed Belle.

“A rat!” said Henry, although from the grin on his face he knew what it was going to be.

“Excellent choices, but I think we shall have – “ He reached into the hat and withdrew a squat orange shape, which he presented with a flourish to Belle. “– a tiny pumpkin. For the beautiful lady.”

Rumpelstiltskin applauded as Belle accepted the pumpkin with delight. “Why thank you, kind sir.” She curtsied, and Nicholas bowed elegantly back.

“Well done, Nick,” Rumpelstiltskin approved. “You’ve definitely earned a treat.” He held out the bowl of candy. “You can take three pieces.”

“Thank you,” said Nicholas politely, and Henry reached for his share.

“Hey, you haven’t performed a trick for us yet,” Rumpelstiltskin scolded.

“I found your cane!” Henry said indignantly, lifting up the hand that held it in proof.

“That’s true,” Rumpelstiltskin acknowledged. “Go on then, feed your face.”

“Henry, wasn’t your father going to come here with you?” Belle looked puzzled. “To do his stint on the porch scaring children?”

“He’s already out there,” said Henry, making his selections. “Take a look.”

“What?” Belle opened the front door and saw the dark, shrouded figure sitting in the rocking chair on the porch, off to the side where the lights flanking the door kept him in shadow. “Neal, why didn’t you come in and say hello?”

The figure was still, and silent.

“Neal?” Belle stepped out onto the porch, approaching him. “That is you, isn’t it?” She reached out to lift back the hood of the cloak. The figure’s head lifted slowly, revealing a skeletal visage, and a bony hand shot out swiftly, grasping at her wrist.

Belle screamed and jumped back automatically, drawing Gold to the door as he looked out in concern. Neal quickly pushed his mask back onto the top of his head.

“Jeez, Belle, are you all right? That was even more effective than I’d hoped.”

Belle put her hand over her still-pounding heart and nodded. “Yeah. I mean, I knew it had to be you but it was so sudden, you grabbing at me, and the mask…” It wasn’t the mask of a clean, dry skull, one whose owner had perished long ago. It was a face that suggested something much more recently deceased, where ligaments still held the eyeballs in place and dessicated skin clung to the bone.

“Maybe you ought to leave off the fast hand grab with the kids,” suggested Gold wryly. “I don’t want to be sued by any parents if a kid falls and hurts themself running away.”

“Yeah, okay. Maybe if I just reach out slowly?” He demonstrated, and they saw he had on black gloves with the bones of a hand realistically painted on. He pulled the mask back into place with his other hand and intoned hollowly, “TREAT?”

“Yeah, that’s good,” Henry agreed, he and Nicholas having trooped back out onto the porch. “I wish I could stick around and watch you, but we’ve got places to go, candy to collect. Right, Nick?”

“Yep. Thanks for the candy.” Nicholas raised his hand in a wave, and turned to go. “C’mon, Henry!”

“I’ll see you guys later,” Henry said. “Have fun!” He strode off down the sidewalk, swinging his cane jauntily.

The night was an unqualified success at the Gold house. Traffic was fairly steady for the first hour, and then began to dwindle until it became apparent that no one else was coming. Neal finally stood and stretched, feeling at what he was sure was already a nasty bruise on his shoulder. It hadn’t taken long before word had obviously spread to expect something special at the Gold house, and more and more of the older kids had approached the porch looking around cautiously as they mounted the steps, many of them giving him a hard stare as they tried to figure out if he was just a stuffed dummy or a real person. Enlightening the chosen ones had been entertaining to say the least; he would swear that one boy had jumped back a good three feet as he’d let out a blood-curdling scream. The screams had drawn Emma to check up on him, some concerned neighbours having reported them. He’d invited her to stay until she was sure that he wasn’t actually hurting anyone, and she’d gone into the house until she’d emerged laughing after his next victim had left with a few choice swear words.

“All right, Cassidy, carry on,” she’d told him. “No one who looks younger than twelve, though.”

“Already doing that,” he’d assured her. And then had come the girl with long, curly red hair, a year or two younger than Henry, and she had started poking at him with her plastic sword. He had grabbed onto the end of it. Even as she had yelled out in surprise, she had jerked the sword back out of his grasp and swung it around in a blow that he had been lucky to dodge as much as he had. Still, it had caught him glancingly on the shoulder. Her father, shepherding three identical little boys, had apologised profusely while still also obviously being proud of his daughter’s bravery. Neal went inside, and noted sadly that the candy bowl was empty. His father and Belle were on the couch, watching TV.

Belle twisted around at his entrance and smiled. “Hey; are you done for the night?”

“Yeah, I think that’s it. And just in time, I see. Out of candy?”

“I might have stashed some in the cupboard for ourselves,” Belle admitted. “How’s your shoulder?” In the doorway, giving out the candy, Belle had been able to witness the reaction of every one of Neal’s victims, and felt bad for laughing nearly every time. But she supposed it was only to be expected that at least one person had struck out in response instead of running away.

“Sore,” Neal admitted. “I’m gonna go take a look at it.” He disappeared into the bathroom and came back out a couple of minutes later. “Big bruise, but nothing serious. Do you mind if I make a hot chocolate? I got a bit chilled just sitting there for so long.”

“Of course not; go ahead,” said Rumpelstiltskin. “And grab a bowl if you want some popcorn.” He held up the large bowl that he and Belle were passing back and forth between them.

“Thanks.” Neal joined them a few minutes later and took out his phone. “Let’s see where Henry is.”

“ _Hi, Dad_ ,” Henry answered when he called. _“How did the scaring go?_ ”

“Memorable,” said Neal. “How did the trick-or-treating go?”

_“Awesome. I’m at the Tillmans' now, we’re sorting our haul out.”_

“Do you want me to come and take you home?”

_“Nah, I’m fine.”_

“All right. Well, call me when you get home so I know that you’re safe. It’s full dark out now.”

_“I will. Bye, Dad.”_

“Bye.” Neal hung up and sat back, relaxing and taking a sip of his hot chocolate. “So, I saw what you were doing, Papa.” He grinned at Rumpelstiltskin. “You are such a softie where kids are concerned.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” his father said loftily.

“Lighting up magic wands and swords and stuff. Hell, you made that one entire ghost costume glow. It was pretty cool-looking.”

“That wasn’t a costume, it was an old sheet with two eyeholes cut in it,” said Rumpelstiltskin darkly. “And did you hear what that boy said when Belle commented on what a scary ghost he was? That she didn’t have to pretend, he knew it was crap, but they couldn’t afford a fancy store-bought costume. He looked smug at the memory of the boy’s excitement as the sheet had begun to emit a eerie green glow. “I think he went away feeling better about his costume.”

“He went swooping down the sidewalk going “Whoooo!”” Neal grinned. He took his smaller bowl and scooped some popcorn out of the big bowl. It was nice, sitting here with his papa and Belle, in the festively decorated room. Cosy. He thought of his empty apartment. “Do you mind if I hang out here for a while?”

“You’re always welcome; you know that,” Rumpelstiltskin replied. They watched the Halloween-themed movie for a while, munching companionably on popcorn and commenting on the special effects.

“So…that candy you stashed away,” ventured Neal after a little while, hopefully. “I don’t suppose I could have a piece or two?”

“You have to do a trick,” Rumpelstiltskin said promptly.

“I made your house one of the top places to stop tonight!” he said indignantly.

Rumpelstiltskin looked at Belle. “What do you think?”

“He might have played some part,” she said judiciously. “Also, he got wounded in the line of duty. I say he deserves a treat.”

“True. All right then, they’re in the cabinet over the microwave.”

“Thanks, Papa, you’re the best.” Neal bounded up and stopped behind the couch to bend down and give Belle a quick kiss on her cheek. “You too, Mom.” He went into the kitchen, making a pleased noise as he discovered a pack of Butterfingers.

Belle beamed. “Did he just call me Mom?”

“He did,” Rumpelstiltskin confirmed, smiling.

Belle smiled back, then glanced down briefly as she splayed her hand across her still-flat abdomen. She’d been waiting for the right time to tell, and suddenly this felt like it.

I suppose I should start getting used to it,” she said, hugging her secret knowledge to herself. “Rumpel – I have something to tell you. You too, Neal, because I hope you’re going to be a big part of this baby’s life.”

“What?” Neal’s jaw dropped open as he spun to face them.

“Baby?” Rumpelstiltskin repeated faintly, and reached out to take Belle’s hands in his. “Belle, are you – “ A fierce love for something that barely existed yet began to shine in his eyes. 

She nodded, her own eyes going a bit watery as her smile widened. “I’m pregnant.” She was equal parts terrified, excited, and ready to take on a new challenge. “We’re going to have a baby.”


End file.
